Apple MacBook Owners Can Collect Up To $395 For Their Broken Butterfly Keyboards

Apple first introduced the controversial butterfly keyboard to its lineup of MacBooks after the company sought to make the laptops even slimmer. Unfortunately, users soon began to notice faults in those rows of matte black buttons embedded into the notebook.

The keyboard became notorious for trapping dust and crumbs under its slim buttons. This caused the keys to lag, become non-functional, travel, or repeatedly type out letters.
 
When the issue arose, Apple compensated for the problem by offering a free replacement program. However, by swapping the part out with an identical keyboard, the same faults were sure to continue to plague users.
 
Customers eventually raised a class-action lawsuit against the company in several US states. This case alleged that Apple had knowingly produced the notebooks despite knowing of the fault. In turn, the tech giant tried and failed multiple times to dismiss the lawsuit.
 
The debacle resulted in Apple offering a US$50 million settlement in July, which a federal judge approved in California. The ruling states that US$33 million will be set aside as payouts for class members.
 
So, how will you know if you are eligible for the payout? The motion states that MacBooks with a butterfly keyboard bought between 2015 and 2019 in California, Florida, New Jersey, Illinois, New York, Michigan, and Washington will be paid in due.
 
Apple will be providing payments in three tiers. The first is for a compensation of US$50, which is for customers that have had keycaps replaced. The next is for a US$125 payout for those who had the entire keyboard replaced. Last of all is the US$395 tier, reserved for people who have had two or more replacements.
 
According to 9to5Mac, affected customers will be contacted by the company. However, to be safe, you can soon also register on this website.
 
 
 
[via 9to5Mac and Ars Technica, Photo 56345891 © Ladislav Soukup | Dreamstime.com]